Becker accused of hiding assets

LONDON • German tennis great Boris Becker "acted dishonestly" by failing to hand over assets including his Wimbledon singles trophies before and after he was declared bankrupt in 2017, a London court heard on Monday.

The six-time Grand Slam winner, who attended the opening day of his trial at Southwark Crown Court, faces 24 counts under the Insolvency Act relating to the period from May to October 2017. Becker, a former world No. 1, denies the charges. The trial is expected to last three weeks.

British media quoted prosecutor Rebecca Chalkley as saying Becker "acted dishonestly with regard to a number of his assets".

"The prosecution say Mr Becker did this both before and after the date of his bankruptcy agreement by not disclosing, not providing, or delivering up, or removing assets or things of value."

The charges include nine counts of not handing over trophies and awards and seven of concealing properties in Germany and London valued at more than €1.5 million (S$2.2 million).

"The issues boil down to everyday issues of dishonesty and knowledge. That is what we say is at the heart of this case," said Chalkley.

Becker was made bankrupt on June 21, 2017 at the London High Court in connection with a debt to private bankers Arbuthnot Latham & Co. Under the terms of the bankruptcy order, he was bound to provide full disclosure of his assets.

The 54-year-old is also accused of removing hundreds of thousands of pounds by transferring it to other accounts, including those of former wife Barbara Becker and estranged wife Lilly Becker.

Judge Deborah Taylor told the jury to leave aside any preconceptions and to ignore Becker's celebrity status. "You must ignore this defendant's celebrity and treat him in exactly the same way you would treat someone you have not heard of and is not in the public eye," she said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS